Benefit of a grease drain

[Dirtytires]

Whole chickens really make a mess out of my smoker. More than any other meats I cook, whole chickens just seem to have more drippings for some reason. Well, I had 50 pounds of them on the smoker yesterday and my pit was about as birth as it’s ever been after a cook. As I started to clean it, I remembered that we seem to have a lot of posts from new builders all wanting to put in some fancy drain system so I snapped a picture of the bottom of my smoker. As you can see, even with all the drippings, most of it has been reduced to a sludge that is in no way going to run down a drain. It is burnt and crispy and isn’t going anywhere.

I know this is a silly picture but I wish someone would have shared it with me as I might have omitted the drain on mine.

[Chromeski]

Guess you need a 4" ball valve instead of that little 2" guy..... but seriously 50# of chicken is a year's supply for me

[mp4]

Good post. I didn't put one in my reverse flow and I don't have any regrets.

[Stewart]

I have a 1" drain on mine and works just fine. I'm primarily cooking whole hogs so I know all about grease build up. All I do is crack the valve while cooking at least once to get rid of the majority. This keeps the sludge down a little. I still have to scrape the baffle plate to keep it from crusting up. Try draining yours at least once during your cook while it's all hot and flows smooth and see it it helps you.

[Dirtytires]

My point is that there is nothing to drain. The whole point of a reverse flow is getting the drippings to vaporize on the baffle plate. This adds moisture and flavor in my opinion and eliminates the need for a water pan. The crusties scrape up easily and I’m left with very little grease to dispose of or mess with.

A whole hog may be a different story, never done one.

And yes, 50 pounds of raw whole chicken cooks down to about 22 pounds of pulled meat. It was nicely vacuum sealed in half pound bags and will, along with some homemade bacon, make some nice holiday gifts for friends this year.

[okcsmith]

Can I get on your holiday list too?

[Dirtytires]

You bet!